When I went to the 1970 World Cup in Mexico City, most Americans knew nothing about soccer, the world version of Football. That included me. I went only because a much older friend asked me to fly him down there. He said I would like it, and we would have plenty of fun.

Listen, youre not going to have progress every tournament, he added. Because otherwise whoever wins the World Cups got nowhere to go. Bob [Bradley] did a great job for us as manager, and Bruce [Arena] before that. Now Jürgens building on that. So its progress on the field and its especially progress in the number of people at home who were paying attention to it. - US Soccer Federation (USSF) president, Sunil Gulati

8
posted on 07/03/2014 12:26:44 AM PDT
by Berlin_Freeper
("Finally, I have to mention a man who made life at the WH very sweet- Crustmaster & his crack pies")

The average soccer participant did not seem that much of a specimen of true fitness. Yes they likely all can run like a gazelle. Most could likely get a try-out at the wide-out position on a college football team. But not all around athletes.

The feigned injury syndrome got very tiring—as bad as the fifth pitching change in as many innings in baseball. Baseball desperately needs to speed up the game if they want to continue to sell their product—or the death spiral will continue.

I agree dfwgator, I hate seeing a decline in any sport, but especially one so entwined in the culture of a nation. I hope the baseball blip is temporary.

For me, and for the culture of my country, winter always meant soccer, and summer always meant cricket. Each year the footballing cathedrals of Anfield, Old Trafford, Goodison Park, Wembley Stadium etc, as the sun struggled to assert itself in May, gave way to the matchless beauty and elegance of a Test Match at Lords.

Of course a World Cup year gives me the best of both worlds - I’ve got a fascinating World Cup continuing next week, just as England play India in the First Test at Lords. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Only ONE team in the MLS had an average game attendance greater than baseball’s average of 31,000 in 2013, the Seattle Sounders at almost 44,000. 14 of the MLS teams had an average attendance less than 20,000 and six had less than 15,000. MLS plays 34 games. Baseball plays 162 games. Soccer has a long way to go to catch baseball in the USA.

That's not to say the German attack isn't creative. It's brilliant. It's just very well designed, too, engineered contend for World Cups. This is the team's 16th quarterfinal appearance.

German AmericanGerman Americans (German: Deutschamerikaner) are Americans who were either born in Germany or are of German ancestry. They comprise about 50 million people, making them the largest ancestry group ahead of Irish Americans, African Americans and English Americans. They comprise about 1⁄3 of the German diaspora in the world.

German Americans established the first kindergartens in the United States,introduced the Christmas tree tradition, and originated popular American foods such as hot dogs and hamburgers Like many other immigrants that came to the United States, an overwhelming number of people of German or partial German descent have essentially become americanized.

26
posted on 07/03/2014 4:40:46 AM PDT
by Berlin_Freeper
("Finally, I have to mention a man who made life at the WH very sweet- Crustmaster & his crack pies")

The “agenda” will work. You are pissing in the wind trying to stop it. Im less likely to see this as some sort of PC agenda. It's more a case of soccer authorities and media outlets trying to promote the game. A game which will make them millions of dollars profit in the future. The same type of massaged figures come out of every organization whether that organization is for profit, non profit, charity, or run by the State.

Forget proactive, inventive, creative soccer. What Jurgen Klinsmann's USMNT really delivered was a scared, disjointed and overly timid performance that was destined to happen because of poor roster selection and poor tactics. And what makes it worse is that he did so while simply repeating the mistakes Bruce Arena made in 2006 and Bob Bradley made in 2010. When will US Soccer learn?

“As much as I like soccer, the declining popularity of baseball saddens me.”

If you look at the general state of things, it isn’t surprising that baseball is losing some national popularity. We are a society of instant gratification. It’s only natural the most popular US sport is one of supposed constant action, instant gratification and glitzy celebrations. Hopefully baseball keeps flying under the radar and just keeps on keeping on.

The 162 game season is why the RSN contracts for baseball are so humongous. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing or if it is a temporary bubble or what. But TV is willing to pay a lot right now for so much generally dvr-proof programming in order to sell advertising.

After “The Curse” was lifted, who really cares about the stinkin’ Sawx and Big Roidi anyway? Between them and the Patriots, we’ve learned that New England fans are even more insufferable winners than they were losers.

36
posted on 07/03/2014 6:51:46 AM PDT
by OrangeHoof
(Every time you say no to a liberal, you make the Baby Barack cry.)

Baseball is still relevant. Okay, there’s no doubt that baseball has disappeared in the Black community. A lot of Hispanics are playing. MLB average attendance is around 25,000 per game. Holding steady.

Understand your point about 5 day Test Matches and, sure, cricket is not for everyone, but I don’t see it as a problem. I see it as a luxury. There are T20s for instant gratification, One Day matches for those so inclined, and the five day game for the purists and traditionalists.

I love the ebb and flow of a Test match. Life is too fast as it is. You don’t necessarily watch every ball, but you can dip in and out. Was it the great PG Wodehouse who described cricket as ‘organised loafing?’

When I was a 17 year old college freshman, we still had mandatory physical education. So I took “team sports” which was supposed to be baseball, basketball, etc. like back in high school.

However the instructor (professor) turned out to be an international soccer player, just back from Finland or some such place. We played only soccer the entire semester.

A few years later I was stationed in Germany, and saw it being played everywhere, so I watched. Still later one of the very first subscription television channels brought English Premier League play to us, in the mid-late 70s. They edited a game down to 60 minutes.

The commentary was done by Mario Machado, who brought the game to English speakers.

I’ve come across two Frenchmen just off-the-street and seen them play in casual games; both of them were very skilled and that is from a country that is often looked at as being more of a Rugby nation. One was a typical mustachioed type from Tours, pear-shaped, the other was a young buck who actually could have passed for a German per his appearance. I’ve come across others from European nations as well who knew their stuff but these two in that were actually pretty amazing and clearly above average.

I still wish somehow, someone set up a competing competition and a competing world Federation, something since FIFA lacks a lot to be desired out of a sport organizations. The Olympic Committee ultimately nowadays at least seems to have more integrity.

This is a great World Cup but why the lack of cards in the Brazil/Colombia match? Why not instant replay?

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